Dreams Turn to Dust
by Cheeky Slytherin Lass
Summary: "You were right. We could have had it all. I wanted a life with you."


_For Emma as part of the Russian Roulette Fic Exchange._

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"Andi," he says, moving closer to the bars. "I'm surprised you came to see me."

Andromeda bites her lip. It isn't easy for her to see him like this, so scrawny, so unkempt. He isn't the boy that she had fallen in love with all those years ago.

 _Rabastan laughs and takes her hand. "We'll be together forever, won't we, Andi?" he asks._

 _Andromeda blushes. Forever is such a long time, and it's a little scary to think that she could have that with anyone. But Rabastan is so warm, so familiar, and somehow the idea doesn't scare her away. "Forever," she agrees with a grin._

 _He releases her hand. "Race you to the lake!" he calls before rushing off._

 _Andromeda doesn't have to speed off after him. She knows he'll find a reason to pause. He always lets her win._

"I'm surprised myself," she admits.

"Does Ted know that you're here?" he asks, spitting the name as though it's something disgusting.

"I didn't come to talk about my husband," Andromeda answers dryly. "I wanted to see you."

Rabastan laughs, leaning against the bars. "Just look old times, eh? You used to sneak out to the garden to see me during the summer. Now you're sneaking out to Azkaban. It's been two years, and you've never visited me before. What changed? Trouble in paradise already? Ted not treating you right?"

"I told you not to talk about him," she snaps.

His lips turn upward into a hint of a smile. "So, you came to see me? Did you miss me?"

" _Did you miss me?" he asks, finding her in the empty compartment._

" _Of course not," she teases._

 _Rabastan pokes out his lips in a mock pout. "That hurts. I spent the morning trying to find you the perfect gift, and you didn't even miss me?"_

" _Maybe a little," she laughs, and he pulls a white rose from his shirt pocket, placing it behind her ear._

"I miss who you used to be," she answers. "When I heard about Frank and Alice…"

She closes her eyes. She doesn't want to believe that he could be a monster. She had spent years trying to deny it, trying to convince herself that it had been a mistake somehow.

" _Show me your arm!" she demands._

 _Rabastan hesitates. "Andi, I-"_

" _Show me!"_

 _He lifts his sleeve, revealing the skull and serpent. Andromeda staggers back, her eyes closing._

" _You're supposed to be better than this," she whispers._

" _I'm sorry."_

"Do you expect me to apologize?" he asks, tipping his head to the side.

"It wouldn't mean anything if you did."

Rabastan smirks. "Then why are you here?"

" _You can't be here!" Andromeda hisses. "I'm-"_

" _About to marry a Mudblood, yeah. I'm assuming my invitation got lost in the post," Rabastan says, stepping forward._

" _Rab…"_

" _We could have had it all, Andromeda," he sighs. "We had plans to be together. You could have joined me."_

" _You know I couldn't have."_

 _His lips twist into a bitter smile. "Your wedding present," he says, pulling a white rose from his pocket and setting it by her mirror. "Remember me kindly. That's all I ask."_

"You were right," she says. "We could have had it all. I wanted a life with you, Rab. I had all these dreams, and it could have been amazing. Sometimes I wonder if I could have stopped you from turning into a monster."

He winces, as though she's physically struck him. "You think I'm a monster?"

"I came here for closure. But when you love someone the way I loved you, closure doesn't exist, does it? All those dreams, and now they're nothing but a bitter memory, and I can't leave you in the past."

"Andi-"

She reaches in her pocket, pulling out a white rose and slipping it through the bars. "I wish we could have had forever," she says before turning quickly and rushing away without a goodbye.

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 **A/N** : I'm hosting the Gift Giving Extravaganza for 2017. Writer sign ups are open, and sign ups for requests never close. If you're interested, go to the link on my profile or PM me for details.


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